Leon Panetta

Current Position: CIA Director (since February 2009)
Credit: Melina Mara/TWP

 

Why He Matters

Panetta has planned a “coup” (in the early 1970s, he encouraged New York City to consider breaking away from the rest of the state), politicked as a congressman and brought order to President Bill Clinton’s sprawling White House.

Despite his credibility with Beltway denizens, the longtime Washington insider has zero experience in the intelligence community, which made him a controversial choice for the nation’s chief spymaster.

The former California congressman and White House chief of staff was tapped by President Barack Obama to serve as CIA director after Obama’s first choice, John O. Brennan, had to withdraw from consideration because of his support for the CIA’s controversial interrogation program during the George W. Bush administration. Obama later appointed Brennan as deputy national security adviser.

Panetta's nomination surprised many lawmakers and the intelligence community, which argued that Panetta’s lack of familiarity with intelligence issues will hurt the CIA. “I believe the agency is best served by having an intelligence professional in charge,” Sen. Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.), chairwoman of the Senate Intelligence Committee, told the New York Times.Mazzetti, Mark and Hulse, Carl, “Panetta is chosen as C.I.A. Chef in a Surprise Step,New York Times, Jan. 6, 2009 But Feinstein later backed Panetta for the job. He was confirmed on February 13, 2009."Senate Confirms Leon Panetta to Head CIA," Reuters, Feb. 13, 2009

But fans say Panetta, who started his political life as a Republican, is a skilled manager who can work with both parties to get things done. He is widely credited with bringing order to a disorganized Clinton White House.

Panetta also has strong background in budgetary issues (he ran the Office of Management and Budget for a year under Clinton) and experience with foreign policy as a member of the Iraq Study Group, a bipartisan commission that developed a series of proposals for handling the Iraq war.

Path to Power

Panetta was born to Italian immigrant parents in Monterey, Calif., in 1938. As a boy, he worked on his family farm and restaurant.Pickert, Kate, “Two-minute bio: Leon Panetta,Time magazine, Jan. 6, 2009 He earned a B.A. from Santa Clara University in 1960 and a J.D. from the same school in 1963. He was also editor of the law review.

After graduating from law school, Panetta served as a first lieutenant in the Army from 1964 to 1966, eventually earning the Army Commendation Medal.

He moved to Washington, D.C., in 1966 to work as a legislative assistant to former Senate Minority Whip Thomas H. Kuchel (R-Calif.). He moved to the executive branch as an assistant to the secretary of Health, Education and Welfare.

In 1969, Panetta became the director of the U.S. Office for Civil Rights. In that position, he enforced equal education laws and fought to desegregate southern schools despite President Richard Nixon’s objections. Ultimately, he was forced to resign. He later wrote a book, "Bring Us Together," attacking the Nixon’s policies.The New Nixon Web site 

Panetta moved to New York City in 1970 to head up Mayor John Lindsay’s (R) state and federal relations operation. He quickly grew frustrated by the state government’s unwillingness to work with city officials. When he saw the cuts Albany officials made to city programs, he famously said New York has “been raped, but we’re being charged with prostitution.” In a memo, he suggested that Lindsay “seriously consider” lobbying for statehood for New York City, a popular (if unlikely) political position at the time.Roberts, Sam, “When a C.I.A. Nominee Urged a New York Coup,New York Times, Jan. 10, 2006

Panetta resigned from his post in 1971, frustrated with the bureaucracy. That same year, he switched his registration from Republican to Democrat.Roberts, Sam, “When a C.I.A. Nominee Urged a New York Coup,New York Times, Jan. 10, 2006

Panetta returned to California to work as a lawyer, but he couldn’t stay away from Washington for long. He was elected to the U.S. House in 1976, and served for 16 years. On the Hill, his specialty was the budget – he chaired the committee from 1989 to 1993.

Clinton Administration

Panetta was once again scooped up by the executive branch in 1993, when President Bill Clinton appointed him director of the Office of Management and Budget. There, he focused on balancing the country’s finances, drafting a package that some say helped Clinton achieve his eventual surpluses.Panetta Institute Web site

After Republicans took control of Congress in 1994 for the first time in 40 years, Clinton turned to the longtime congressman to serve as his chief of staff in July 1994.

He was tasked with bringing order to a chaotic White House that seemed unable to focus or act decisively. Panetta cut down on Clinton’s speaking engagements, limited aides’ face time and focused their portfolios and helped negotiate the yearly budget. “By the time he was here two weeks, I could see how calm things were,” Clinton told The Washington Post in 1997.Wines, Michael, “White House Memo; First Things (the Elections) First for Chief of Staff,New York Times, Aug. 11, 1994

Panetta told the New Yorker the job was incredibly intense. “When I was at the O.M.B., it was hard to find time to go to the bathroom. Now I can’t eat. Maybe it’s all working out,” he said.Blumenthal, Sidney, “The Princeling,” New Yorker, July 1994

Panetta left Washington in 1997, right before the Clinton impeachment scandal erupted, and founded the Leon & Sylvia Panetta Institute for Public Policy, a California think tank that addresses a wide range of policy problems, including attracting young people to public service.Panetta Institute Web site He was also a member of the Iraq Study Group, the Independent Task Force on Immigration and America’s Future, and on the board of directors of the New York Stock Exchange.

In January 2009, Obama nominated Panetta as CIA director. Panetta’s limited intelligence experience sparked criticism on the Hill and in the intelligence community, especially because Panetta’s name was leaked to the press before Obama had spoken with Senate leaders. “I think it’s a bizarre choice,” said Amy Zegart, a professor at UCLA’s School of Public Affairs who specializes in intelligence issues. “I think it’s profoundly misguided.”

However, some intelligence experts defended the choice, saying an outsider would bring fresh perspective to the struggling agency. “He will bring … an outside perspective that I think might be helpful at this juncture in the C.I.A.'s history,” former House International Relations Committee Chairman Lee Hamilton (D-Ind.) told the New York Times.Leon E. Panetta,New York Times, Jan. 5, 2009

The Issues

Panetta has broad prescriptions for fixing the country. He is a staunch proponent of balancing the budget and has called on the federal government to borrow less money.Panetta, Leon and Frenzel, Bill, “Who Bails Out the U.S. Government?Christian Sceince Monitor,  Nov. 5, 2008 He has also asked presidents and Congress alike to preserve the integrity of the constitution and the separation of powers.Panetta, Leon, “Five Points For The Next President,” Mononterey County Herald, September 7, 2008   

A wide range of admirers have praised Panetta’s organizational and management skills and his prescriptions for the budget. However, though he dealt with national security issues as Clinton’s chief of staff, he does not have a first-hand expertise in intelligence issues.

Iraq

As a member of the Iraq Study Group, Panetta kept a close eye on the situation in that country. The group called for American forces to begin withdrawal from Iraq to prove that the U.S. will not stay there indefinitely. The group also called for extended diplomatic efforts and engagement across the Middle East, including with Iran and Syria.

Panetta has suggested the U.S. set clear benchmarks for the Iraqi government to meet in order to continue to receive American support. He has argued that the end goal must be self-sovereignty and national reconciliation. For this reason, he favors a specific withdrawal date for U.S. troops from Iraq.

“The president and the Congress should make very clear to the Iraqis that there is no open-ended commitment to our involvement,” he wrote in an op-ed in the New York Times. “As the Iraq Study Group recommended, there must be a price to be paid if the Iraqis continue to fail to make good on key reforms.”Panetta, Leon, "What About Those Other Iraq Deadlines?" New York Times, April 4, 2007

Furthermore, Panetta has argued that the case for the Iraq war was based on faulty intelligence. “In a democratic society, winning a war depends on the support of the people. And the support of the people depends on their trust that they are being told the truth by their leaders,” he wrote.Leon E. Panetta,New York Times, Jan. 5, 2009

Torture

Before joining the Obama administration, Panetta was an outspoken opponent of harsh interrogation tactics used on terrorist detainees in the George W. Bush administration. “We cannot and we must not use torture under any circumstances. We are better than that,” he wrote in 2008 for the Washington Monthly.Panetta, Leon, “No Torture. No Exceptions,Washington Monthly, Winter 2008

The American public, Panetta argues, has been convinced that torture is acceptable because it is afraid of future attacks on U.S. soil. However, Panetta says that the country’s founders created a new nation that would “recognize that every individual has an inherent right to personal dignity.” According to Panetta, torture is a violation of those basic rights. “We have preached these values to the world … it's what is supposed to make our leaders different from every tyrant, dictator, or despot.”

At his confirmation hearings in January 2009, he said that he would not allow the CIA to torture prisoners, to maintain secret prisons or to force the transfer of prisoners to countries that allow torture.Warrick, Joby and Pincus, Walter, "CIA Nominee Panetta Vows An End to Disputed Tactics," The Washington Post, Feb. 6, 2009

In August 2009, Panetta oversaw the release of a 2004 report on the holding of high-profile terror suspects by the CIA. The report indicated that several of the detainees were abused. The report, by the CIA's inspector general, said the agency's efforts to provide "systematic, clear and timely guidance" to interrogators was "inadequate at first" but "improved considerably."Office of the Inspector General, "Counterterrorism, Detention and Interrogation Activities," Central Intelligence Agency, May 7, 2004

Pelosi Controversy

In spring 2009, Panetta clashed with House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) over when the speaker was informed that enhanced interrogation techniques such as waterboarding were used on terrorist detainees by CIA employees. In May 2009, Panetta released documents stating that Pelosi was informed in September 2002 of the use of such tactics; Pelosi fiercely denied that she had that knowledge until early 2003. Panetta said that the CIA's records could be erroneous, but defended his employees and agency.

"Let me be clear: It is not our policy or practice to mislead Congress. That is against our laws and our values. As the Agency indicated previously in response to Congressional inquiries, our contemporaneous records from September 2002 indicate that CIA officers briefed truthfully on the interrogation of Abu Zubaydah, describing 'the enhanced techniques that had been employed.' Ultimately, it is up to Congress to evaluate all the evidence and reach its own conclusions about what happened." Panetta stated.Sargent, Greg, The Plum Line at WhoRunsGov.com, "CIA: We’re Right About Torture Briefings, But Please Don’t Take Our Word For It," May 15, 2009

But Pelosi's version of events had some Republicans calling for her ouster.

Iran

The CIA has played a big role in the Iranian nuclear negotiations. Iran disclosed that it had bulit a seperate uranium-enrichment plant in Qum in Sept. 2009, an announcement that led America and its allies to impose tighter sanctions on the country.

The CIA had known about the plant for more than three years, and Panetta and his staff had worked with European intelligence agencies on a report about the plant in summer 2009. "It was built into a mountain; obviously that raised question marks," 

Panetta told

Time

magazine in October 2009. "We spent the next months trying to get better intel about what was going on there ... and conducting covert operations into that area."

Ghosh, Bobby, "CIA Knew About Iran's Secret Nuclear Plant Long Before Disclosure," Time, Oct. 7, 2009

The Network

Panetta and Obama transition team leader John D. Podesta are tight, and their relationship stretches back to the early 90s, when Podesta served as deputy under Panetta in the White House.Leon E. Panetta,New York Times, Jan. 5, 2009

Panetta is close to the Clintons, however, his circle extends to the Hill, where he is friendly with many current and former legislators. When he was in Congress, he was “one of the best-liked members of the House,” forging relationships with the likes of former Majority Leader Richard Gephardt (D-Miss.).Bumenthal, Sidney, “The Princeling,” New Yorker, July 1994  

Panetta once shared housing with Sen. Charles E. Schumer (D-N.Y.) and Rep. George Miller (D-Calif.). He was forced to move out of the apartment once he was appointed to the Clinton administration because it was considered a conflict of interest for him to pay rent to a congressman. In 1992, Schumer called Panetta "the perfect government servant" in USA Today.Pickert, Kate, “Two-minute bio: Leon Panetta,Time magazine, Jan. 6, 2009

Panetta donated $2000 to Hillary Rodham Clinton’s 2008 Presidential campaign, but he later criticized the way Mark Penn and others ran her political operation, saying they failed to plan for the future.Strange, Niall, "Panetta's Lament: They Had No Plan," New York Observer, Feb. 26, 2008